Butter and oleomargarine cutting machine



M y 1954? R. s. EDMUNDS, JR

"BUTTER AND OLEOMARGARINE CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 51, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR P. sifizimunds f BY 5 Z ATTORNEYS M 13, 1954 R. s. EDMUNDS, JR-

BUTTER AND OLEOMARGARIN E CUTTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 31 1950 INVENTOR Raficiinundg J7:

BY W

ATTORNEYS May 18, 1954 s. EDMUNDS, JR

BUTTER AND OLEOMARGARINE CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 31, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 MN NA? NTOR y 18, 1954 R. s. EDMUNDS, JR 2,678,493

BUTTER AND OLEOMARGARINE CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 31, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4:

Patented May 18, 1954 BUTTER .AND OLEOMARGARINE CUTTING MACHINE Raymond S. Edmunds, Jr., San Antonio, Tex.

Application July 31, 1950, Serial No. 176,856

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting and scoring butter or oleomargarine.

In the formation of butter or oleomargarine chips the material is taken from the congealing machin or churn and is then passed through an intermediate chilling process to make the material more firm. After the material is chilled it is formed into flat sheets and scored and cut into thedesired sizes. It is an object of this invention to provide a machine which will eliminate the intermediate chilling process and which will form the materialinto scored sheets of desired thickness.

Another object of this invention is to provide in combination with an extrusion nozzle, a rotatable scorer and cutter which will produce chips of uniform size and thickness in a continuous process.

A further object of this invention is to provide in combination withan extrusion nozzle, a rotatable scorer and cutter on the discharge end of the nozzle which is rotated by the force of the material extruded from the nozzle so that the material will be uniformly scored and cut irrespective of the rate of flow of the material through the nozzle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of this kind which will. eliminate leftover or waste pieces.

A further object of this invention is to provide a'machine of this kind which is simple in construction so that it can be easily and rapidly assembled or disassembled for cleaning.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in, theappended claim.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is atop plan view of a machine constructed accordin to an embodiment of this invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed side elevation of the machine,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section taken on the line 3--3' of Figure 1,

Figure 4: is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on. the line 55' of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is an enlarged extended plan view showing thearrangement of the cutting and scor ing blades,

Figure 7 is an enlarged plan view of one oi? the cut and scored sections,

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8 -8 ,ofFi'gure 7, l

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9-4) of Figure 2,

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line |c |s of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l5 designates generally a table having the upper run It of an endless conveyor generally designated as H movably engaging thereover. A material extruding nozzle generally designated as It! is disposed over the upper run of the conveyor l! and. connected by means of a coupling iii to a supply pip 2d. The supply pipe 20 is connected to a source of material under pressure with the material movable through the pipe .28 into the nozzle structure It. The nozzle structure I8 is formed of two parts with one part 2| forming the rear part and as shown in Figure 1, of tapering and forwardly divergent configuration.

The forward end of the rear part 2| is flattened out to provide a flat horizontally disposed opening 22, Figure 3. The nozzle structure l8 also includes a forward nozzle part 23 which is formed of a bottom wall or plate 24 having a rear flange 25 adapted to be secured by fastening means 26 to a confronting flange 21 carried by the forward end of the rear nozzle member 2|. The plate 24 has fixed thereto a pair of upstanding flanges 28 and an adjustable nozzle plate 29 engages between the flanges 28 and is formed at its rear end with an upstanding flange 30a secured by fastening means 3m to an upstanding flange 32a carried by th upper side of the rear nozzle member 2|.

The upper wall or plate 29 is adapted to be adjusted relative to the bottom wall 24 so as to provide for the desired passage or opening 35 by means of a plurality of adjusting bolts 3|. The adjusting bolts 3| are threaded through a transversely extending bar 32 which is fixed as by welding or the like between the upstanding flanges 28.

A pair of vertically disposed bearing supports 33 are disposed on each side of the forward nozzle 2.3 and include a horizontal flange 34 which is secured as by removable fastening means 35 to the bottom plate 24. The bearing support 33 is laterally ofiset from the forward nozzle member 23' and is formed with a U-shaped flange 36 A lower bearing adjusting bolt 42 is threaded through the bight of the flange 36 and bears against the anti-friction bearing 31 at a point diametrically opposite from the bolt 4 I. A shaft 43 extends through the anti-friction bearing 37 and has fixed thereto a cylindrical cutter drum 44. The drum 44 includes end walls 45 which have secured thereto flanged bushings 45 which are adapted to be secured by fastening means 47 to the shaft 43. The cylindrical carrier or drum 44 has fixed thereto a plurality of triangularly related material scoring blades 48, and the drum or carrier 44 also has secured thereto at spaced intervals staggered cutting blades 49. The cutting blades 49 are substantially deeper than the scoring blades 48 and provide a means whereby a strip or sheet of plastic material similar to that shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 and indicated by the numeral 50 may be scored and out at spaced intervals.

The configuration of the scoring blades 48 will determine the shapes of the chips which are to be cut and scored. As herein disclosed the blades 48 are arranged as equilateral triangles for cutting triangular chips. .As shown in Figure 8 the scoring blades 48 will form the triangularly related scores which do not project entirely through the plastic sheet 50, whereas the blades 49 will form the staggered ends 52 as shown in Figure 7. The combined cutter and scorer formed of the drum 44 and the blades 48 and 49 is heated to the desired degree so as to prevent adherence of the material on the blades 48 and 49 and the periphery of the drum 44 by means of a heat lamp or bulb 53. bulb 53 is of conventional construction and is mounted partly in a downwardly directed shield or housing formed or" parallel side walls 54 and parallel end walls 55. v

The shield or housing includes a top Wall 53 having an opening 51 through which the bulb 53 partly projects, and the bulb is removably secured in the opening 5'! by clamping means 58. The shield or housing formed of the walls 54, 55 and 58 is supported above the combined scorer and cutter by means of downwardly projecting brackets 59 secured by fastening means 89 to the end walls 55. The brackets 59 are formed with offset lower ends 8! having slots 62 whereby the lower ends may straddle shaft 43. The brackets 59 are removably secured to the bearing support-' ing members 33 by means of hook-shaped clamping members 63 carried by the opposite vertical edges of the lower ends 8!. The clamping members (53 are adapted to slide over the opposite edges of the bearing supports 33 and are limited in their downward movement by stop members 64 carried by the bearing supports 33.

The degree of heat generated by the heat lamp 53 is regulated by means of a rheostat 65 which is disposed in offset relation with respect to the conveyor H. The rheostat 55 is connected to the heat lamp 53 by means of conductors 85.

In the use and operation of this device the material such as butter, oleomargarine, or the like, is forced under pressure through the supply pipe 28 into the nozzle I8. The nozzle 58 will flatten the material, and the thickness of the extruded material is regulated by adjustment of the nozzle wall 29. As the material is forced through the forward nozzle member 23 this material will strike the blades 48 and 49 of the combined cutter and scorer and will force the combined cutter and scorer to rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3.

The heat lamp or VII The material will pass between the wheel and bottom wall 24 onto conveyor I! which is operated at a speed slightly faster than the movement of the extruded material so as to separate the out sheets 50 of plastic material along the upper run I 6 of conveyor ll after the cutting blades 49 have cut the sheets of plastic material by a shearing action along the forward edge of bottom wall or plate 24. Inasmuch as the cutting and scoring wheel is rotated by the flow of the extruded material, this material may be removed through the supply tube 20, and the nozzles l8 at any desired speed without affecting the character of the strip or sheet of material which is discharged or extruded from the nozzle. This machine will eliminate the intermediate step at present in effect of congealing the butter or oleomargarine prior to the shaping of the material for market purposes. v

With a machine as hereinbefore described, the material may be taken immediately from the churn or the congealing machine and extruded through the nozzle I 8.

The machine hereinbefore described is of simple construction and is also so constructed and arranged that it may be easily and quickly assembled or taken apart for cleaning purposes or the like, so that the device may be kept in a saniwall. means connected to the nozzle to provide a pressurized source of material supply for material to be extruded through said nozzle, a receiving conveyor underlying the nozzle and pro' jecting forwardly therefrom, means connected to said conveyor for driving said conveyor, and a scoring and cutting member mounted for rotation about a stationary axis concentric with an are extending between the terminal edges of the bottom and top walls of the nozzle, means operatively associated with said nozzle for adjusting the terminal edge of the top wall of the nozzle relative to said cutting member to alter the thickness of the extruded material, a blade on said cutting and scoring member extending, at least,

' to the terminal edges of the bottom and top walls of the nozzle at the maximum adjusted distance of said top wall from said bottom wall, material discharged from said nozzle impinging against said blades to rotate the scoring and cutting member, said means for driving said conveyor, moving said conveyor at a speed in excess of the speed at which material is extruded from said nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

